The firstborn began his journey to the East last week in his new (used) Buick. Having forsaken the local state university, he began his new life at 'real' college in the hills of Virginia, about two hours outside DC or about eighteen hours outside here.

He left in a rare early morning rain, and his mother returned to her bed for the day to begin her mourning and to bemoan his absence on his twentieth birthday, which fell two days after his departure.

His brothers, being of more opportunistic bent, immediately considered their promotions into better bedrooms, moves which will not occur, it seems, until the mom's mourning has progressed further.

And I tried to balance my curiousity about how long it might take Josh to realize just how good he had it in town here � school, job, harem, friends � against my hope that he might succeed wildly in his new life.

Reading: Heinlein, Starship Troopers, and Armstrong, Buddha.

Watching: Gas prices, which have once again risen to the buck eighty range.